|
|
 |
|
| 
WAR
AND PEACE II: 1945 - 1949
With
the end of WWII in sight, Rugby League was again looking
to resume the international arena. Additionally, the NSWRL
was looking to expand with the admission of two more teams,
Manly-Warringah and Parramatta in 1947 making it a 10 team
comp. This gave extra weight to the importance of being
a minor premier.
The 1940s also saw record
breaking Jack Lindwall reach his career heights.
Jack Lindwall was remembered as one of the greats when in
June 2000 he passed away. Jack's brother, Ray Lindwall
also played for Saints in the '40s and was a talented
footballer before he pursued a career in cricket where he
found immediate success as a deadly fast bowler and the
spearhead of Don Bradman's Invincibles in 1948.
'The Dragon Slayers' were now known simply as 'the Dragons'
and they continued into the 1950s as a competitive force
getting closer and closer to the glory that awaited them.
1945:
SAINTS CAMPAIGN FALLS OFF THE
RAILS
OUT OF SEMIS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE
1938
Hurstville,
11 August 1945: With a number of regular players
unavailable, Saints find the going tough in 1945
and fail to make the semis. Not since 1938 has the
Sydney premiership played out its semi finals without
St George. Saints finished in 7th position
on nine points ahead of Souths on two points. Saints'
prop forward, Bill McRitchie plays his final
year with his home club.
 Bill
was hospitalised for 22 weeks in 1945 following
a biting incident in a club match against Newtown.
Apparently, Bill had part of his ear bitten off
by Newtown's Frank 'Bumper' Farrell.
A police officer, Farrell was also disciplined by
the NSW Police Force. But at the judicary, Bumper
claimed that he was incapable of biting because
he left his dentures in the dressing sheds. He was
cleared by 15 votes to 12, while McRitchie was awarded
a sum between 200 and 300 pounds as compensation.
St George officals tried to re-open
the inquiry a month later, however the league disagreed,
voting 21-2 against further investigation.
According to McRitchie and Sy George,
the issue was never properly resolved.
(click on article for full image and story, 366
Kb) |
1945
(top 4 in semis
- playoff for 4th)
| Easts
p |
22 |
| Newtown |
21 |
| Wests |
17 |
| Balmain |
16 |
| Norths |
16 |
| Canterbury |
9 |
| St
George |
9 |
| Souths |
2 |
(14
ROUNDS)
Saints
'45 record
Win
Loss Draw
4W, 9L, 1D
Pts for/against
For 183 (7th)
Against 253
(6th) |
1946:
 DRAGONS
CLUB CHAMPIONS, MINOR PREMIERS & GRAND FINALISTS
(click on pic left
for larger image)
RAY LINDWALL'S
FINAL MATCH AS SAINTS ARE 'ROBBED'
Sydney Sports Ground, 14 September
1946: In typical fashion, St George have bounced
back from the lower end of the ladder to finish
the 1946 season as minor premiers. As well,
Saints performed well in all grades, claiming the
club championship. After 14 rounds, Saints
are 22 pts (11 wins, 3 losses) followed by Newtown
(20), Balmain (18), Canterbury (17). Saints are
firm favourites to take out the 1946 premiership.
 A
crowd of 32,296 saw the Grand Final between St George
and Balmain. The fact that the Dragons deserved
to win is of no consequence. They were 'robbed'
as some observers put it when a series of decisions
by referee George Bishop gave Balmain numerous advantages.
In particular, two Balmain tries came off forward
passes and there was a disallowed try to St George.
Bishop's refereeing was described as 'astounding'
when Balmain's Joe Jorgenson scored after
receiving a ball that was propelled a yard forward.
Despite
this, Saints came within a whisker of victory when
Jack Lindwall scored in the corner but
brother Ray Lindwall (pic left) was
unable to convert in the difficult conditions. At
the end of the day, one has no choice but to look
at the score board. Ray Lindwall was not
able to land a conversion at any time throughout
the match and despite scoring four tries to three,
Saints were unable to come up with their second
premiership.
Fulltime score: Balmain 13 (3 tries + 2 goals)
bt St George 12 (4 tries + 0 goal).
Tensions of the encounter overflowed
after fulltime and the match concluded on an ugly
note when Saints forward, Jim Hale went toe
to toe with Balmain hooker, Herb Gilbert Jnr.
Hale was then attacked by a spectator and an all-in
brawl followed. This incident has been rated as
contentious as the Earl Park riot of 1928. |
1946
(top 4 in semis)
| St
George |
22 |
| Newtown |
20 |
| Balmain
p |
18 |
| Canterbury |
17 |
| Easts |
16 |
| Norths |
10 |
| Wests |
9 |
| Souths |
0 |
(14
ROUNDS)
Saints
'46 record
Win
Loss Draw
11W, 3L,
0D
Pts for/against
For 264 (3rd)
Against 203
(5th) |
|
Ray
Lindwall (pictured, above) gave Rugby League
away after the Grand Final of '46. He already
had a huge reputation as a killer fast bowler
before going fulltime to the St George Cricket
Club. In '48 he became immortal when he was selected
on the Ashes Tour to England with Don Bradman's
Invincibles.
THE GREAT HERB NARVO
 St
George captain, Herb Narvo (pictured, right)
gave his all in the '46 Grand Final. He was a
tough Test forward who originally played Rugby
League in Newcastle. Herb was also a fine cricketer
and cyclist.
He also held the Australian Heavyweight Boxing
title during his football career. During the post
war period, he was a household name in Sydney.
He originally won his Heavyweight title in 1945
when he defeated Billy Britt in just 23
seconds. He lost the title in 1946 to Jack
Johnson and got up the next day to captain
St George. Herb played just one season with Saints.
In 13 games, he scored three tries and eight goals
before returning to his first club, Newtown. He
then played out his career in the country finishing
up as coach of Newcastle. He died as a result
of Cancer in 1958.
BIG
CROWD SEES 'ILLAWARRA' DOWN ENGLAND
Southern Division defeat England
15-12 in 1946 at the Wollongong Showground
|
1947:
 JACK
LINDWALL SETS CLUB RECORD
Hurstville,
3 May 1947: Saints have given newcomers, Manly-Warringah
a thrashing to the tune of 61-11. Saints scored
13 tries to one. The match will be remembered
for Jack Lindwall's [pictured] six tries
and nine goals for a personal tally of 36 points
in the one game, setting a new club record for
tries scored in one match and equaling Les
Griffin's 1935 record for total points scored
by any St George player in one match. Saints'
captain for 1947 was Doug McRitchie.
SAINTS UNABLE TO MAKE SEMIS
Sydney Sports Ground, 27 August
1947: St George finished the season in equal 4th
but were unable to reach the semis following their
loss in the playoff for 4th place against Wests.
Saints went down 10-5.
NEW SIGNING:
Saints have signed Frank Facer
to a three year contract beginning with season
'47. 'Fearless' Frank Facer, a North Sydney junior,
was lured to play Hooker by Saints by club secretary,
Arthur 'Snowy' Justice. Another player
who became a Dragon in '47 was Noel Pidding.
|
1947
(top 4 in semis
- playoff for 4th)
| Canterbury |
27 |
| Balmain
p |
24 |
| Newtown |
23 |
| St
George |
22 |
| Wests |
22 |
| Norths |
19 |
| Souths |
18 |
| Easts |
11 |
| Manly |
8 |
| Parramatta |
6 |
(18
ROUNDS)
Saints
'47 record
Win
Loss Draw
11W, 7L,
0D
Pts for/against
For 353 (3rd)
Against 272
(3rd) |
|
1948:
SAINTS GO DOWN IN PRELIMINARY
FINAL
Sydney
Cricket Ground, 11 September 1948: St George
were defeated by Balmain 13-12, a scoreline which
reminds us of the '46 Grand Final. On this occasion,
Saints are eliminated from the semis and Balmain
go on to meet the powerful Wests team in the decider.
The Dragons had previously beaten Newtown 20-8 at
the SCG (Sept4) in the minor semi. St George are
placed third in the '48 comp but coming into the
semis they held the ladder position of 4th with
21 points.
Before a crowd of 37404, the St George forwards
were battering Balmain in the qualifying final.
But the Tigers were inspired by winger, Arthur Patton
who played the match with a broken leg. Balmain
held a lead of 13-7 before L Evans scored and winger
Stan Root converted putting Saints just one point
behind.
In the dying minutes, Matt McCoy put Root into the
clear and with only the Tigers' fullback, Dave Parkinson
to beat. But Parkinson was equal to the task in
bring Root down and Balmain won narrowly 13-12.
Also in 1948, Saints captain, Doug McRitchie plays
for NSW thus joining a long list of 1940s rep players
from St George.
|
1948
(top 4 in semis)
| Wests |
32 |
| Newtown |
26 |
| Balmain |
26 |
| St
George |
21 |
| Canterbury |
16 |
| Easts |
16 |
| Souths |
15 |
| Parramatta |
11 |
| Manly |
9 |
| Norths |
8 |
(18
ROUNDS)
Saints
'48 record
Win Loss
Draw
10W, 7L, 1D
Pts for/against
For 332 (2nd)
Against 262
(5th) |
1949:
The
premiership winning side of 1949
(click on the pic for larger
image)
Back row (L-R): M. McCoy, J.
Munn, R. Roberts, J. Holland, G. Jardine.
C. Banks.
Front row: D. McRitchie, C.
Langton, F. Facer,
J. Hawke, N. Hill, N. Pidding,
D. Fleming.
Ballboy: Warren Sanders
|
ST
GEORGE CLAIM SECOND
PREMIERSHIP
Sydney Cricket
Ground, 10 September 1949: In a brutal encounter,
the St George Dragons ran in five tries and overcame
South Sydney 19-12 to claim the 1949 premiership
in front of 56,534 people.
Coming into the semis, Saints finished 3rd on
the ladder (23 pts) after 18 rounds of football.
To get the Grand Final, Saints first defeated minor
premiers Souths in the major semi-final 16-12 (August
20), and then Balmain in the preliminary final 18-7
(September 3).
In the Grand Final, St George were led masterfully
by their victorious captain, Norman 'Johnny'
Hawke. Controlling all aspects of the match,
Hawke took the game away from Souths who only got
back into the contest when Hawke was forced from
the field with injury. Also injured was forward,
George Jardine who played the match with
a broken wrist.
After some treatment, Hawke returned to the field
and set up the play for victory. 'Johnny' Hawke
was dubbed 'man of the match' and 'the player's
player' in a team of stars which included the season's
leading try scorer (25 tries) and newcomer, Ron
Roberts and Noel Pidding. Both wingers
scored two tries each.
FULLTIME: ST GEORGE 19 defeated SOUTH SYDNEY
12.
Dragons first grade coach for 1949: Jim Duckworth.
Scorers for St George
Tries: Ron Roberts 2, Noel Pidding 2, Matt McCoy.
Goals: Matt McCoy, Noel Pidding.
Referee: G. Bishop. |
1949
(top 4 in semis)
| Souths |
27 |
| Wests |
24 |
| St
George p |
23 |
| Balmain |
22 |
| Parramatta |
20 |
| Newtown |
19 |
| Canterbury |
14 |
| Manly |
13 |
| Norths |
11 |
| Easts |
7 |
(18
ROUNDS)
Saints
'49 record
Win
Loss Draw
11W, 6L,
1D
Pts for/against
For 345 (4th)
Against 231
(3rd) |
|
ALSO
IN 1949: Doug McRitchie
toured with the Kangaroos, playing in two Tests
against Britain and another two Tests against
France. He was joined by fellow centre, Matt
McCoy who was signed in 1948 after being spotted
in Bega, NSW.
1949 was the first year as a Dragon
for goal kicking fullback, Doug Fleming.
Only 19 yrs old, Doug actually forced Test star,
Noel Pidding onto the wing and played in the '49
GF win.
The 1949 Grand Final was the last
match for Jack Lindwall. Without a doubt,
Jack Lindwall was one of the greatest footballers
to ever wear the red and white. A brilliant attacking
winger and centre, Jack set numerous club records
including most tries in a match (6 pts vs
Manly 1947) and most points in a match (36
pts vs Manly 1947). In a career which began in
1938, Jack played 133 games and scored 110 tries
and kicked 99 goals for a personal career tally
of 528 points.
The
1940s in summary: Rugby League had a good
decade despite the loss of players. In 1943, with
the pressure of war ever present, Sydney turned
to Rugby League and crowd numbers went 'through
the roof'. The Grand Final of 1943 attracted over
60,000 people which was extraordinary in a city
which was still being referred to as 'Sydney Town'.
Saints went
from strength to strength in the 1940s with some
real heroes emerging from their ranks. Apart from
winning two premierships, Saints appeared in all
the semi-finals of the 1940s with the exceptions
of '45 & '47 when they missed out narrowly.
Saints were fantastic in the 40s. But the best
was yet to come...
|
|
|
